Roller-type drafting apparatus of textile spinning and analogous machinery



Jan. 6, 1953 w. H. WATSON 2,624,074

ROLLER-TYPE DRAFTING APPARATUS OF TEXTILE I SPINNING AND ANALOGOUS MACHINERY Filed Sept. 23. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 6, 1953 w. H. WATSON 2,624,074

ROLLER-TYPE DRAF' TING APPARATUS 0F TEXTILE SPINNING AND ANALOGOUS MACHINERY Filed Sept. 25. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 6, 1953 w. H. WATSON 2,524,074

ROLLER-TYPE DRAF TING APPARATUS OF TEXTILE SPINNING AND ANALOGOUS MACHINERY Filed Sept. 25. 1950 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented Jan. 6, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLLER-TYPE DRAFTING APPARATUS 'OF TEXTILE SPINNING AND ANALOGOUS MA- CHINERY Application September 23, .1950, Serial No. 186,393 in Great Britain October 3, 1949 13 Claims. ((31. 19- 150) This invention is concerned with textile spinning and analogous machines employing drafting apparatus in which the sliver, roving or the like is attenuated by its passage between pairs of rollers rotating at relatively different speeds. It is well-known that the production of a roving or yarn of uniform strength and regularity in such machines requires that the fibres shall be subjected to a close control in their passage through the drafting zones, a requirement which is the more important in high draft systems. Hitherto this feature of control has been sought by the use of stationary condensers or reducers of many different shapes and forms, single-and doubleapron apparatus, small diameter pre-sser rollers and other expedients intended to restrict the outward spread of the flanking fibres induced by the drafting action, but this result has not yet been completely achieved. In addition to the aforesaid forms of stationary condenser it has also been proposed to confine the silver between the upper and lower faces of two overlapping discs, disposed between two sets of drafting rollers. The axes of rotation of the aforesaid discs, which are positively driven in opposite directions, are offset from the path of travel of the sliver, so that the sliver-engaging face of each disc has a component of motion in a forward direction. The object of the present invention is to provide new or improved apparatus giving better fibre control than has been possible with existing devices, enabling higher drafts and greater regularity of yarn or roving to be attained.

In a textile drafting apparatus according to the present invention, there is provided in respect of each end of the fibrous material, a pair of rollers (hereinafter termed the control rollers) which rotate in opposite directions and are disposed in relation to pair of drafting rollers so that the line of the nip of the control rollers is at, or approximately at, right angles to that of the nip of the drafting rollers, the arrangement being such that the material passes between and is subjected to the controlling influence of the cooperating faces of the control rollers immediately before entering the nip of the drafting rollers. I

The control rollers may have plain cylindrical working faces, or they may be respectively tongued and grooved, the tongue of one roller working within the groove of the other roller, in which case thebody of fibres under treatment will pass between the -'c'ylindrical faces of the rim of the tongued roller and the-base of the grooved roller, Whilst being confined between the sides of the groove of the latter.

The nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed. will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the invention in its application to the drafting apparatus of .a textile spinning machine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. In said drawings, Fig. '1 is a partially diagrammatic cross-sectional View of the roller-stand and its associated parts, Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of'the same as seen in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a. separate plan of a drafting unit with which one form of the present improved control rollers is associated. Figs. '1 to 3 illustrate control rollers of 'tongu'ed and grooved formation, whereas Fig. 3a is a "similar View of Fig. 3 depicting a modified form of drafting roller .in conjunction with control'rollers of plain cylindrical form.

ing units. Fig. '7 is a similar view to Fig. 6-0f an apparatus employing plain cylindrical "control roller assemblies.

Fig. 8 is a detail view illustrating the relative positions of the drafting units and the control rollers, when using drafting rollers having narrow bosses.

Fig. "9 is a detail illustrating one practical means for maintaining the control rollers in operative relationship.

In Fig. 1, the reference numeral 'll indicates the roller stand. Three linesof rollers are shown, 12 and 13 being the upper and lower feed rollers, M-and f5 thelintermediate rollers, and lfi and l the front drafting rollers. Mounted between the intermediate rollers Id, l5 and the front rollers is, l l, in the closest possible proximity to the nip of the latter are two control rollers l8 :and .ls9, there being a separate pairof such controlrro'llers for each end of the material undergoing drafting treatment.

In the embodiment illustrated by Figs. 1 to 3, the roller l8 has a peripheral groove I 81 which receives a peripheral tongue [9! provided on the roller l9, said tongue li l being .aclose working lit in the groove lr8l. Said control rollers are supported iupon shafts which are respectively mounted for rotation :in opposite directions about axes which are perpendicular :to the plane containing the lines of nip of the front and intermediate rollers IB, I1 and I4, I5. The direction of rotation of the control rollers I8, I9 is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3, and is such as to assist the progressive movement of the fibres towards the drafting rollers I 6, I l. The arrangement is such that the body of fibres passes through the nip of the control rollers I8, I9 immediately before entering the nip of the drafting rollers I6, II. That is to say, th fibres are com- Pressed between the tongue I9I of the roller I9 and the base of the groove I8I of the roller I 8, being thereby compressed in a direction at right angles to the direction of the nipping action of the rollers I6, II.

Means are provided for urging the control rollers I8, I9 towards each other, so as to maintain their compressive action upon the fibre body irrespective of its instantaneous thickness. For this purpose I may, for example, mount one of the control rollers, say the roller I9, upon a pivotal arm 29, and to provide a leaf spring 2| which is arranged to bear against the side of said arm 20 in such fashion as to press the roller I9 against the roller I 8. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 9.

In an alternative embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3a, the control rollers I3 and I9 are of plain cylindrical form, and it will be understood that whichever form of control rollers is adopted, their working faces may be plain, corrugated, coated with cloth or other suitable roller-covering material, as may be best adapted to provide the requisite degree of the control which they exercise over the fibres passing between them.

The depth of the working faces of the control rollers I8, I9 need only be suffici'ent to cater for the thickness of the sliver or fibre body being processed; it is accordingly possible to arrange for the nip of the control rollers to be located very closely to the nip of the drafting rollers with which they are associated. It desired, for this purpose the control rollers may be made of radially tapering thickness, enabling their thickness at the peripheries to be reduced without impairing their strength.

The control rollers I8, l9 may be rotated by the frictional contact of the fibre body passing between them, or one or both of them may be driven positively. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the roller I8 is driven from a line-shaft 22 through the medium of a worm 23 thereon which meshes with a worm-wheel 24 which is fixed on an extension 25 of the shaft carrying said roller I8. In the alternative embodiment depicted in Figs. 4 and 5, the roller I8 is driven by a worm-wheel 26 meshing with a worm 2'! on the shaft of the drafting roller Il. Thus arranged, the control rollers I8, I9 constitute means for progressively and continuously presenting the leading tips of the fibres in a straight line to the drafting rollers I6, I! with little or no splaying of the fibres. It will also be evident that the use of such a form of condensing means exercises a substantially less degree of frictional retardation on the fibres than has been customary in existing stationary forms of condenser.

The control rollers may be applied to any one or more of the zones of a multi-stage drafting apparatus. Figs. 6 and '7 illustrate examples in which a supplementary control assembly is associated with the intermediate .drafing rollers I4, 15, in addition to that provided for the front drafting rollers I6, IT. The depth of the working face of the said supplementary rollers, of which one is indicated at 28, is greater than that of the rollers I8, I9 by reason of the fact that the fibre body is of greater thickness at the intermediate drafting stage.

It may even be found desirable to employ more than one pair of control rollers I8, I9 arranged in tandem in a single drafting zone, according to the spacing between the lines of drafting rollers,

the degree of draft required, and the extent of the necessary control of the fibre body.

To facilitate the removal of an assembly of control rollers, for purposes of cleaning or replacement, the assembly may be mounted as a unit in a common block, as shown at 30 in Figs. 4 to 6, the block 39 being supported on pins 3| which are received in sockets 32 in a suitable fixed part of the roller stand II. This form of mounting is particularly advantageous when the control rollers are driven from the drafting roller, as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

It will be manifest that a substantially closer setting of the nip of the control rollers to the nip of the drafing rollers can be obtained when the drafing rollers are made with narrow bosses as depicted in Figs. 2, 3, 3a, and 8, as compared with the setting attainable when drafting rollers are provided having bosses of conventional width. In the construction of Fig. 8 the control rollers I8, l9 can be brought forward without impingement of any parts thereof against the boss of the drafting roller.

The adoption of the principle of usingnarrow bossed rollers renders it possible to use for a weighted top roller, e. g. the rollers IE or I4, a shaft carrying a series of ballor roller-bearings, the outer race of each bearing constituting a boss of the roller. In such case, the shaft itself is stationary, being fixedly carried by a suitable support, and it is possible to operate the rollers for long periods without relubricating.

A further advantage of the narrow bossed top roller is the fact that it is easier by reason of its narrow dimension to renew the roller covering or cot which is usually provided. In order further to facilitate cleaning of the rollers they may be made as shown in Fig. 3a, wherein the parts between adjacent bosses are so shaped that fibres which may escape laterally from the drafting stage and which fall on the roller, will tend to accumulate thereon at a position as far as possible remote from the boss.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a textile drafting apparatus a pair of cooperating drafting rollers and a pair of contrarotating control rollers disposed in relation to said drafting rollers, so that the nip of the control rollers is at, or approximately at, right angles to the nip of the drafting rollers, and so that the working faces of one of said pairs of rollers project beyond the adjacent tangent plane of the other pair of rollers towards the nip of the latter, the rollers of at least one of the pairs including bosses and the width of the bosses of one of said pairs of rollers being less than the spacing between the axes of the other pair of rollers.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1 in which it is the working faces of the control rollers which project toward the nip of the drafting rollers and beyond the adjacent tangent plane of the latter.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooperating faces of the control rollers are cylindrical,

the control rollers are respectively tongued and grooved, the tongue of One roller being arranged to work within the groove of the other roller, so that the fibre body is condensed between the peripheral rim of the former and the base of the groove of the latter.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for resiliently urging the cooperating faces of the'control rollers towards each other.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of such control rollers is provided in operative, overlapping relationship to preceding and following pairs of drafting rollers.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control rollers are driven by frictional contact with the fibre body passing between them.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising means'for imparting a positive drive to a control roller so that its rotation assists the forward passage of the fibre body toward the associated drafting rollers.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for imparting a positive drive to a control roller so that its rotation assists the forward passage of the fibre body toward the associated drafting rollers, and wherein connecting gearing is provided from a line shaft to the driven control roller.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1', comprising means for imparting a positive/drive to a control roller so that its rotation assists the forward passage of the fibre body toward the associated drafting rollers, and wherein a shaft supports the driven control roller and gearing is 3 provided connecting the shaft to one of the associated drafting rollers.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein provision is made of a roller stand, and a common block detachably mounted on the roller stand, a pair of control rollers being mounted in the block so that the control roller assembly constitutes a removable unit.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drafting rollers are provided with bosses narrower than the spacing between the shafts of the control rollers, said bosses extending between said control roller shafts so that the control roller nip is disposed in close proximity with that of the drafting rollers.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drafting rollers are fashioned with narrow bosses only suificiently wide to accommodate the fibre body without traversing movement of the latter, the said bosses being constituted by the outer races of ballor roller-bearings mounted on a fixed shaft.

WILLIAM HAROLD WATSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,738,796 Reynolds Dec. 10, 1929 1,922,950 Harris Aug. 15, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,682 Great Britain of 1890 310,958 Great Britain of 1930 641,878 France May 1, 1928 

